Robert j



(No Model.

R. J. G. CORNER. GAS OR LAMP LIGHTER.

ill '55:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT J. G. CORNER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TOCARROLL BOONE VASTINE, OF SAME PLACE.

GAS OR LAMP LIGHTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 478,953,-dated July 12,1892.

Application January filed 28, 1892. Serial No. 419,511. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ROBERT J. G. CORNER, a subject of the Queen of GreatBritain, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gas orLamp Lighters,.of which the following, in connection with theaccompanying drawings, is a.

full, clear, and exact specification.

My invention relates to that class of lamp or gas lighters in whichpercussion-caps or similar explosives are employed for producing therequisite flash or flame for igniting the jetting gas or the wick, asthe case may be; and it has reference more particularly to devices ofthis character especially designed and adapted for lighting lamps orjets arranged at high elevations or out of reach of persons of ordinaryheightsuch as streetlamps or gas-jets-or lamps upon chandeliers.

The invention has for its object to improve the general construction ofdevices of this nature, whereby their bulk may be reduced to a minimum,and thus make it possible to insert the lighter through the opening inthe bottom of the globe, a method of use impossible with lighters ofthis kind as heretofore constructed.

My invention also has for its object to cause the waste ribbon or tapeupon which the percussion caps or pellets are usually stuck to be pulledpast the scratcher and ejected from the device as soon as the pellets orcaps are consumed, thus simplifying the device and doing away with thespace or room ordinarily required for containing such waste tape untilall the pellets thereon are consumed.

My invention consists in certain features of novelty in the constructionand combination of parts by which the said objects and certain otherobjects hereinafter described are attained, which features will now befully described with reference to the drawings, and more particularlypointed out in the claims.

In the said drawings, Figure 1 is a view illustrating the manner ofusing my device, the same being shown in side elevation. Fig.

2 is an edge view of the complete device. Fig. 3 is a verticallongitudinal section thereof, portions being broken away, drawn to anenlarged scale; and Fig. at is a similar View,

the section being taken at right angles to the plane of the section ofFig. 3 and the interior mechanism being shown in elevation.

In the drawings, wherein like signs of reference indicate like partsthroughout the several views, A represents a casing whose upper end ispreferably provided with prongs B,which form a wrench or clutch forturning the key or cook of the gas-fixture, and its lower end isprovided with a hollow screwthreaded neck 0, into which is screwed theupper end of the hollow handle or stem D, which latter may be of anydesired length.

J ournaled upon a suitable shaft E within the upper port-ion of thecasing A is a drum F, to one side of which is secured a ratchetwheel G,of slightly less diameter than the drum. Mounted, preferably, upon thesame shaft E, so as to be capable of rotation independently of the drumF and wheel G, is a bell-crank lever H, whose one arm is provided with adog or pawl 71, pivoted thereto and arranged to drop into engagementwith the teeth of the wheel G, and upon the other arm of this bell-crankbears a spring I of any suitable construction, secured in suitable studs1' and acting to rotate the bell-crank in one direction, while a cord orwire K is suitably se cured to the other arm of the bell-crank and actsto rotate it in the opposite direction, thus causing an intermittentrotation of the wheel G and drum F. The wire or cord K passes downwardthrough the hollow handle D and is secured to any suitable pull ortrigger, such as L, projecting through a slot in the handle near thelower end thereof within convenient reach of the operator, so that thedevice may be held in one hand and the requisite rotation imparted tothe drum F by means of pressure of one of the fingers or thumb of thesame hand applied to such trigger. The tape M, having the explosivepellets thereon, may be coiled in the lower portion of the casing Aunder the drum F in any suitable manner; but I prefer to wind such tapeupon a reel or spool N, suitably journaled in the casing, so as to avoidthe entanglement of the tape with the operating mechanism.

The casing is provided in one side edge with an orifice O for thedischarge of the flame or flash produced by the explosion of the polletsor caps, and secured, preferably, to the side of the case adjacent tothis orifice O is a scratcher or ignitor P, composed, preferably, ofspring metal and having its upper end inturned toward the drum F, so asto scratch and thereby ignite the pellets as they pass between it andthe drum, thus causing the flame and sparks to be emitted through theopening 0, which, if at the time is in the vicinity of the jetting gasor the lamp-wick, will cause the same to be ignited.

Journaled in the upper portion of the easing upon any suitable pin orshaft is apressure-roller Q, which, for the sake of simplicity andcheapness, I prefer to construct of soft rubber or other elasticmaterial, so as to produce a constant but yielding pressure upon theperiphery of the drum F. The tape M passes from its reel N upward overthe drum F, first between such drum and the scratcher P, and thenbetween such drum and the press ure-roller Q, which latter bears uponthe tape and produces suflicient friction between the periphery of thedrum and the tape to cause the latter to be pulled or drawn upward whenthe drum is revolved, thus pulling the pellets between the scratcher andthe drum with great force and at all times keeping the tape taut ortight, the roller Q of course being arranged to grip the tape after itleaves the scratcher. As the pellets on thetape are consumed and thetape passes over the drum it strikes against a shield or guide R,whichdirects its end toward and into a discharge-aperture 7', formed in theside of the casing A, and between which and the scratcher the roller Qis located, thus permitting the Waste tape to be removed as fast as thepellets are consumed. If desired, the aperture mayalso be provided witha guard or guide R, arranged adjacent to its lower side and having itsend in close proximity to the periphery of the drum, so as to guardagainst the possibility of the tape missing the aperture '1' and passingdownward between the periphery of such drum and the side of the casingA.

One side of the casing A is provided with a hinged or other suitabledoor a to aiford convenient and ready access to the interior mechanismfor refilling the tape-reel N, or for inspecting or repairing themechanism.

It will be seen that by arranging the feeding-drum for the tape and thereel upon which the tape is wound one above the otherin this manner thedevice may be made very compact and need be but slightly thicker thanthe width of the tape itself, thus making it possible to insert thelighter through the under side of globes having even unusually smallopenings.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new therein, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of the casing having an orifice for the discharge ofthe flame or flash and a discharge aperture for the tape, a scratcheradjacent to said fiame-orifice, and means for drawing the tape past saidscratcher and ejecting it through said tape-aperture, said means beingadapted to grip the tape between the scratcher and the saidtape-discharge opening after it passes the scratchcr, substantially asset forth.

2. The combination of the casing having an orifice for the discharge ofthe flame or flash and a dischargeaperture for the tape, a scratcheradjacent to said flame-orifice, a 1'0- tary drum and pressure-Wheel,between which the tape passes, and which drum and pressure-wheel arearranged to grip the tape after it passes said scratcher, and means foractuating said drum, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination of the casing having an orifice for the discharge ofthe flame or flash and a discharge aperture for the tape, a scratcheradjacent to said flame-orifice, a drum over which the tape passes tosaid tapedischarge aperture, a lever having a pawl, a ratchet-wheel withwhich said pawl engages, connected to said drum, the shaft E, upon whichsaid drum, lever, and ratchet-wheel are j ournaled, a pressure-wheelarranged to bear upon said drum, and means for actuating said lever,substantially as set forth.

4. The combination of the casing having a flame-orifice and atape-discharge aperture, a scratcher arranged adjacent to saidflameorifice, means for feeding the tape past said scratcher and towardsaid tape-discharge orifice, arranged between the scratcher and saiddischarge-orifice, and guides for directing the waste tape from saidfeeding mechanism into said discharge-aperture, substantially as setforth.

5. The combination, with the casin g having a flame-orifice, of the drumjournaled in said casing, means for actuating said drum, a rubber orelastic roller journaled in said casing, with its periphery bearing uponsaid drum, and a scratcher impinging the periphery of said drum adjacentto said flame-orifice, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination, with the casing having a flame-orifice, of the drumjournaled in said casing, means for actuating said drum, a rubber orelastic roller journaled in said casing with its periphery bearing uponsaid drum, and a 'scratcher impinging the periphery of said drumadjacent to said flame-orifice and being arranged and adapted to impingethe tape before the tape reaches the said roller, substantially as setforth.

7. The combination, with the casing having the flame-orifice, of thedrum journaled in said casing, a ratchet-wheel for actuating said drum,a bell-crank having a pawl engaging said ratchet-wheel, a spring bearingupon one arm of said bell-crank, the hollow handle communicating withsaid casing and having a pull or trigger, a wire or cord connecting saidtrigger with one arm of said bell-crank, a pressure-roller bearing uponthe periphery of said drum, and a scratcher impinging the periphery ofsaid drum adjacent to said flameorifice, substantially as set forth.

8. The combination, with the casing having a flame-orifice in one sideand a tape-discharge aperture in its other side, of a drum journaledbetween said orifice and aperture in the upper part of said casing, atape-reel jour naled in said casing directly below said drum, apressure-roller journaled in the casing and arranged to bear upon thedrum at a point between the said flame-orifice and tape-dis chargeorifice, a scratcher arranged to impinge the drum adjacent to saidflame-orifice, a handle secured to said casing under said tape-reel, andmeans for actuating the drum, substantially as set forth.

9. The combination of an upright casing having a flame-orifice in itsside edge, adrum journaled in the upper portion of said casing,

a tape-reel journaled in said casing immedi-

